Multiple-brush selector.



E. B. CRAFT & J. N. REYNOLDS. MULTIPLE BRUSH SELECTOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1912.

1,123,695. Patented r /b 38 may 50% //7 venforfs Edward 5. Craft John M Reynolds.

by M Af/y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. CRAFT, OF HACKENSACX, NEW JERSEY, AND JOHN N. REYNOLDS, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MULTIPLE-BRUSH SELECTOR.

Application filed November 29, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD B. CRAFT and JOHN N. REYNOLDS, citizens of the United States, residing at Hackensack, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, and Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, respec tively, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Multiple-Brush Selectors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention which relates to switching apparatus for use in automatic and semiautomatic exchange systems, and more particularly to those switches in which electro magnetically controlled devices are employed, is adapted for use either as a selector or as a connector, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved mounting for the brush sets and the provision of improved means by which the activity of the brush sets is controlled.

By means of this invention a switch is provided by which a large number of lines may be accurately and rapidly served, and whereby any line may be reached through one of a plurality of multiply connected brushes on a common brush shaft, each brush having access to a particular group of lines only. For this purpose there is provided a panel board upon which a plurality of vertical rows of sets of stationary terminals are mounted, each row being divided into sections and each section having a set of cooperative normally inactive movable brushes individual thereto, all the corresponding brushes of the several sets having access to the same row being connected inmultiple. These rows of terminals may be multiplied horizontally across the panel to be accessible to as many individual switching mechanisms as may be necessary to handle the greatest number of simultaneous calls. Each set of brushes is carried by a separate brush carrier mounted on a longitudinally movable brush shaft common to the entire group of brush sets corresponding to a single row of stationary terminals.

In accordance with this invention the ter minals of any desired line are reached by first causing the set of brushes having access to the section containing the desired Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 734,081.

line terminals to become active, and then causing said set to traverse the terminals in this row until the desired terminals are reached.

In the embodiment of the invention herein shown all of the brush carriers are fixed to the brush shaft to move therewith. A set of brushes is secured to each brush carrier by means of laterally flexible spring arms having cam portions arranged to be engaged by rollers of insulating material at one end of a bell crank lever whereby they are forced laterally to a position to pass by the stationary terminals without engagement therewith. One of these brush controlling levers is individual to each brush set and is pivotally secured to the brush carrier immediately below the brush supporting arms in such a manner that when the inwardly extending free end of the lever occupies a horizontal position, the other end will project upwardly and the rollers of insulating material will engage the brush supporting arms and force the brushes to their retracted or inactive position. The brushes are retained in their inactive position at all times, except during conversation or when a connection is being made, when one set of brushes and only one is tripped.

A brush selecting or tripping device is provided which is adapted to engage the brush controlling lever of the desired brush set to release the brushes and allow them, upon movement of the brush shaft, to traverse the stationary terminals of their sec tion while the other sets of brushes remain in their inoperative position but move with the shaft. This brush selecting means comprises a trip magnet on the frame adjacent to the normal or home position of each brush set. This electromagnet has a substantially vertical pivoted armature, the upper end of which is provided with an opening adapted to receive the free end of one of the controlling levers when the armature is attracted by the energization of the trip magnet. Thus, it will be seen that if the trip magnet of any desired brush set is energized, at the instant the free end of its respective brush controlling lever occupies a position in the path of the opening in its respective trip armature, the controlling lever will be engaged, and

upon the upward movement of the brush shaft, the said lever will be actuated to release the brushes when, by reason of the resiliency of their supporting arms, the brushes will assume their operative position.

For a more detailed description of the invention reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the switching devices with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a modified form of the device; Fig. 3 is a section on the line3 -3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the brush shaft with the side broken away to show the arrangement of the conductors therein, also showing one of the brush sets and its respective tripping device; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the brush controlling lever; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

The switch here disclosed is designed to serve five hundred lines, the terminals of which are divided into sections of one hundred each, and are duplicated on the opposite side of the board so as to be accessible to the brushes on each side thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious, however, that the capacity of this switch may be increased by providing a greater number of sections and a correspondingly greater number of rushes, or by arranging more terminals in each section.

In order to avoid needless duplication of the parts and to more clearly illustrate the parts of the apparatus claimed as our invention, only one switching device with four sets of brushes and a portion of two banks of stationary terminals is shown in the drawing. It is to be understood, however, that the stationary terminals are arranged in sets of three each as shown in Fig. 3, and that there are one hundred of such sets in each section and five sections to a row. For each section a set of three brushes 1, 2, 3 and 4 are provided, 2 and 3 being in effect one brush, adapted to engage all the sets of stationary terminals 5, 6 and 7 in their respeetive section only.

Each individual switching apparatus comprises a brush shaft 8 slidably mounted in the guide sleeves 9, secured in the frame members 10. Upon the shaft are secured a plurality of brush carriers 11, one for each stationary terminal section. These brush carriers consist of plates 12 and 13. The plate 13 has a vertical slot adjacent to the shaft 8 through which extends a hook-shaped projection 121- on the plate 12. The plates are thus pivoted together and are held in gripping relation to the shaft by the screws 15. Each brush set comprises the brushes 1, 2, 3 and 4 which are carried at the ends of the laterally flexible arms 16, 17, 18 and 19, respectively. These arms are rigidly secured lation as shown in Fig. 3.

to the plate 13 of the brush carrier by the screws 20, and are insulated from each other and from the brush carrier by the plates of insulation 21. These arms by their resiliency tend to urge the brushes 1 and 2 toward the brushes 3 and 1 and vice versa. Each of the arms 16 and 19 carries a block of insulating material 22 whereby the brushes of each pair are held in spaced re Thus, it will be, seen that the brushes 1 and 2 are opposed to the brushes 3 and "l and that when the brush set is released or tripped, the brush 1 will engage the terminal 5, the brushes 2 and 3 will engage the terminal 6, and brush t will engage the terminal 7.

Each of the brush arms has an upward extension 23 ending in the soldering terminal 69 as shown most clearly in Fig. 4.

Extending backwardly from the clamping member 13 of each brush carrier, immediately below the brush supporting arms, is an integral arm 24. This arm has at the outer end the laterally extending portion 25 terminating in the forwardly extending or rebent portion 26. The brush controlling lever 27 is mounted between the outer end of the arm 24 and the rebent portion thereof by means of the pivot pin 28. This lever is in the shape of a bell crank and is shown in its normal or operative position in Fig. 5. As thus shown, the upwardly extending portion consists of two spaced parallel members 29, each being provided at its upper end with a roller 30 of insulating material. The other arm 31 of this lever extends laterally and rearwardly as shown in Fig. 5 for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

The brush arms 17 and 18 are bent to form converging cam members 32 and the substantially parallel portions 33. In the normal inactive position of the brush set the rollers 30 engage the inner surfaces of these parallel portions whereby the brushes are held in their retracted position as shown in Fig. 3. In order to insure the retention of the brush controlling levers in their operative position, each of the brush arms 17 and 18 is provided at the juncture of the cam member 32 and the portion 33 with an inwardly projecting lug 3'1.

Secured to the frame members 10 below each brush set respectively is a trip mechanism consisting of a trip magnet 35 and a pivoted armature or trip lever 36 normally held in its retracted position by a spring 37. Each of these trip levers, as they will hereinafter be termed, is provided near the upper end thereof with an opening 38. In the form shown in Fig. 1 these openings are arranged at progressively increasing distances above the normal position of the ends 31 of the brush controlling lovers. The end of the lowermost lever 31 is normally in the path of movement of the opening in its respective trip lever and the distance of the opening in each succeeding trip lever above its lever 31 is greater-than that of the preceding one by the distance between adjacent conducting segments on the interrupter 39.

Thus it will be seen that if it is desired to select any brush set other than the lowermost one, the shaft will be elevated until the end of the lever 31 lies in the path of movement of its respective trip lever when all the trip magnets will be momentarily energized to attract their armatures or trip levers. The lever 81 of the desired set only will be operatively engaged at this time by the opening in its trip lever as the openings in some of the levers will lie below the ends of their respective levers 31 while the openings in others will lie above. Thus as the upward movement of the shaft is continued, the brush controlling lever 27 will be rotated until the insulated rollers 30 pass beyond the stop lugs 34 when the cams 32 on the brush arms will engage the rollers 30 to rotate the lever 27 and the brushes will spring to their operative position by reason of the resiliency of their supporting arms.

Means are provided for carrying the brush shaft at different speeds. This means comprises two drive drums and 40 mounted on the constantly rotating shafts 41 and 41' respectively running preferably at the relative speeds of 1 to 10, and a corresponding pair of idler pulleys 42, 42 on the opposite side of the shaft, actuated by the electromagnets 43, 43 whereby the shaft may be gripped between either drive drum and its respective idler pulley to elevate the same, thus causing the brushes of the selected set to traverse the terminals of its respective section until the desired terminals are reached.

The pulley 42 is mounted on the upper end of the lever 44, which is pivotally secured to the frame member 45 and to the lever 46 by the pivot pin 47.

A stop pin 48 is provided on the lever 46 to limit the relative movement of the levers.

A spring 49 is provided having one end secured to the lower end of the lever 44 and the other to the lever 46, thus tending to retain the lever 44 in engagement with the stop pin 48.

Secured to one side of the lever 46 is the armature 46 of the electromagnet 43. Thus when the magnet 43 is energized it acts through lever 46, spring 49, lever 44 and idler pulley 42 to force the shaft into engagement with the drive pulley 40 whereby the shaft is elevated.

As the lower drive mechanism is substantially the same in operation and structure as the one just described, the same reference characters primed have been applied to the corresponding parts in the drawing and the last paragraph read with the reference characters thus primed will apply equally well thereto.

In order that the brushes may not be twisted by the operation of the power pulleys, a swivel connection 50 is provided in the shaft 8 between the brush-supporting portion and the part engageable by the power drums 40 and 40.

The application of current to the clutch magnet for the high speed drum which is provided to carry the brushes over the stationary terminals by groups of ten is controlled indirectly by impulses created by the interruption of the circuit extending through the plate 51 (see Fig. 6), brushsupporting arm 52, supporting member 53 rigidly but insulatively secured to the shaft, brush-supportingarm 54, brush and interrupter 56 by said interrupter. These pulsations are transmitted to the setting mechanism (not shown) which may act through a sequence switch, relays or in any desired manner to shift the supply of current to the low speed clutch magnet, or to cut it ofi altogether.

The supply of current to the clutch magnet of the low speed drum which is provided to carry the brushes over the stationary terminals during units selection, and also to carry the shaft during the brush selecting period, in the form shown in Fig. 1 is controlled in the same manner with the exception that the arm 57, brush 58 and interrupter 59 are substituted during units selection, and the arm 57, brush 58 and interrupter 39 are substituted during brush selection for the corresponding parts first mentioned. The arms 52, 54 and 57 are rigidly and conductively secured to the member 53 which in turn is rigidly but insulatively secured to the shaft in any desired manner.

In practice, the operation of the form shown in Fig. 1 will preferably be as follows: The low-speed clutch will be operated to cause the elevation of the shaft during brush selection, the amount of travel prior to the actuation of the tripping means being measured by the interrupter 39 and the cooperating parts in the manner just described. The high speed. clutch is then energized to trail the brushes of the selected set over the terminals by tens and the low speed clutch is operated to continue the travel by units to the desired terminals. The two latter operations being governed through the agency of the interrupters 56 and 59, respectively. in .the manner previously described. Either of the drums 40 or 40" shown on the drawings may be arbi trarily selected as the high speed drum, the other being the low speed drum as the two elevating devices are substantially the same both in structure and operation with the eX- ception that one shaft is caused to rotate more rapidly than the other.

When the desired terminals are reached, the upward travel of the shaft will be arrested by the denergization of the clutch magnet, the shaft being held in its elevated position by the armature release pawl 70 engaging the rack 71 on the shaft 8. This pawl is pivotally mounted at and is urged toward the rack by the spring 61. When release is desired, the electromagnet 62 is energized, retracting the armature pawl 70 and the shaft is released and may be returned to normal by gravity or in any desired manner. When the brush shaft returns to its home position the actuated brush set is returned to its normal inoperative position by the engagement of the lever 31 with the frame member 10, thus causing the insulating rollers 30 to engage the cam surfaces 32 on the arms 17 and 18, forcing the brushes to their inactive position as shown in Fig. 3.

The brush shaft is hollow and has the circuit wires 63, 64:, 65 located therein, branches from each of these wires are eX- tended to the soldering terminals 69 of the corresponding brushes of the several sets, thus connecting the corresponding brushes of all the sets in multiple.

Another branch from each of the conductors 63, 64, 65 is secured to one of the arms 66 respectively, rigidly but insulatively secured to the brush shaft as shown in Fig. 6. These arms each carry a spring wiper 67 adapted to slidably engage one of the insulated conducting plates 68 respectively, thus providing an improved means whereby the telephone circuit may be extended to the brushes, and the corresponding brushes connected in multiple.

The modification shown in Fig. 2 is in all respects the same as that shown in Fig. l with the exception that the openings 38 in the trip armatures are normally all located in a position to engage the end of a trip lever 31 upon energization of their respective magnets 35. Only one trip magnet is energized at a time and the one to be energized and. consequently, the brush set to be selected, is determined by the operation of a sequence switch, relay or in any desired manner. As in this form there is no preliminary or bruslrsclecting travel of the operating shaft, there is no function for the interrupter 39 and consequently it is omitted.

As it is obvious that the mechanism disclosed above would operate equally well in any position, we wish it understood that we are not to be restricted to the vertical arrangement herein shown and describe-fl, which is merely illustrative, but desire to be limited merely by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In an automatic switch, an axially movable brush shaft, a plurality of brushes, resilient arms uniting said brushes to said shaft, means for normally, laterally flexing said arms to render the brushes inoperative, and electromagnetic devices for rendering said means ineffective.

2. In an automatic switch, a plurality of opposed pairs of brushes, a support therefor, means for resiliently uniting said brushes to said support, means whereby said pairs of brushes are normally held separated to inoperative position, and means for rendering said latter means ineffective.

3. In an automatic switch, pairs of opposed resiliently supported movable brushes, means for normally spreading said brushes to inoperative position, and tripping devices for rendering said means ineffective.

l. In an automatic switch, two opposed pairs of brushes, means for normally spreading said pairs to inoperative position, and a tripping device for rendering said means ineffective.

5. In an automatic switch, opposed pairs of brushes, means for holding the brushes of each pair in spaced relation, means tending to force said pairs toward each other, a controlling means normally holding said brushes in spaced inoperative position, and a tripping device for actuating said controlling means.

6. In an automatic switch, a brush shaft, a plurality of pairs of brushes secured thereto, means individual to each pair normally holding the brushes thereof in inoperative position, tripping devices for selectively rendering said means ineffective, and electromagnets, one for each tripping device, for controlling the operation thereof.

7. In an automatic switch, a plurality of sets of multiply connected brushes, each set comprising two opposed pairs of brushes, a spacing means between the brushes of each pair, means normally engaging the innermost brush of each pair whereby the brushes are spread to inoperative position, and a tripping device for rendering said last named means ineffective.

8. In a telephone switch, a brush shaft, a plurality of sets of multiply connected brushes resiliently secured thereto, each set comprising two opposed pairs of spaced brushes, means normally holding said brushes spread to inoperative position, and tripping devices for rendering said means ineffective.

9. In an automatic switch, a brush shaft, a plurality of sets of brushes carried thereby, a controlling lever individual to each set normally holding said brushes inoperative,

and independently operable tripping devices, one for each controlling lever, whereby said lever is actuated to render operative the brushes of its respective set.

10. In an automatic switch, a plurality of sets of multiply connected brushes, means normally retaining the brushes of each set in inoperative position, and independently actuated t'ipping devices, one for each set, whereby said means may be operated to release desired brushes.

11. In an automatic switch, a brush shaft, a plurality of sets of brushes, resilient arms connecting said brushes to said shaft, means individual to each set normally holding said brushes in inoperative position, and independently operable tripping devices, one for each set, whereby the brushes thereof may be rendered operative.

12. In an automatic switch, a brush shaft, a plurality of sets of brushes resiliently mounted thereon, each set comprising opposed pairs of brushes, a brush controlling lever individual to each set normally retaining said pairs spaced to inoperative position, and electromagnetically operated tipping means whereby the said lever of any desired brush set may be actuated to release said brushes.

13. In an automatic switch, aplurality of rows of stationary terminals, a set of movable brushes engagcable therewith, resilient supporting means for said brushes tending to thrust said brushes into engagement with said terminals, brush controlling means for normally laterally flexing said supporting means whereby said brushes are caused to assume inoperative positions between said rows of terminals, respectively, and means for rendering said controlling means ineffective.

14-. In an automatic switch, a plurality of rows of outwardly proiecting stationary terminals, a set of movable brushes engageable therewith, resilient supporting means for said brushes, brush controlling means for laterally flexing said supporting means whereby said brushes are caused to occupy an inoperative position between said stationary terminal rows, and means for rendering said controlling means inefi'ective.

15. In an automatic switch, a plurality of rows of outwardly projecting stationary terminals, a set of movable brushes engageable therewith, resilient supporting means for said brushes, tending to thrust said brushes into engagement with said terminals, brush controlling means for laterally flexing said supporting means whereby said brushes are caused to occupy an inoperative position between said stationary terminal rows, and means for rendering said controlling means ineffective.

16. In an automatic switch, a longitudinally movable shaft, a plurality of brushes,

resilient arms connecting said brushes to said shaft, brush controlling means normally flexing said arms whereby said brushes are maintained in an inoperative position, and tripping devices for rendering said controlling means ineffective.

17. In an automatic switch, a plurality of sets of brushes, movable supporting means therefor, flexible arms uniting said brushes to said supporting means, a brush controlling lever individual to each set normally retaining said brushes in inoperative position, a trip lever for each set, means for simultaneously operating said trip levers, and means whereby the operation of said trip levers may selectively trip said brush sets to operative position.

18. In an automatic switch, a longitudinally movable shaft, a plurality of sets of brushes mounted thereon, brush controlling devices individual to each set, normally retaining the said brushes in inoperative posi tion, trip levers for said controlling devices respectively, means for simultaneously actuating said trip levers, and means whereby a single trip lever is effective to release a set of brushes.

19. In a switch, a movable member, a set of four brushes arranged in pairs, said pairs being opposed, flexible arms uniting said brushes to said member, means carried by the two outermost brushes for holding the brushes of each pair in spaced relation, a bell crank lever pivoted adjacent to said arms, one member of said lever being bifurcated and normally positioned between the two innermost brushes whereby said brushes are rendered inoperative, and means for rotating said bell crank to release said brushes.

20. In an automatic switch, a shaft, means for longitudinally moving said shaft, a plurality of brush sets thereon, controlling levers for said sets respectively, normally holding said brushes in their inoperative positions, a trip lever individual to each set, each trip lever having a surface adjacent one end therefor for trippingly engaging its controlling lever, and electro magnetic operating means for each trip lever.

21. In an automatic switch, a shaft, means for longitudinally moving said shaft, a plurality of brush sets fixed to said shaft, controlling levers for said sets respectively normally holding said brushes in their inoperative position, a trip lever individual to each controlling lever, means for simultaneously actuating said trip levers, each trip lever having a controlling lever engaging surface adjacent one end thereof, said surfaces being arranged at progressively increasing distances from the normal positions of said controlling levers, respectively, whereby the actuation of said trip levers during the preliminary movement of said shaft will effect the release of a single set of brushes.

22. In an automatic switch, a plurality of sets of brushes, a support therefor, a brush controlling lever individual to each set normally maintaining said brushes in inoperative position, a trip lever individual to each set having an openingadjacent to the upper end thereof foroperatively engaging its respective brush controlling lever, said openings being at progressively increasing distances from the normal position of said controlling levers, respectively, and electromagnetic operating means for each 15 trip lever.

In Witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 27th day of November A. D.,

EDWARD B. CRAFT. JOHN N. REYNOLDS. Witnesses:

O. T. N. GUTHE, W. F. HOFFMAN.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

